ESR Investigations on Blood Treated Intravenously with Ascorbic Acid"

Abstract

The effect of 1 g of ascorbic acid, administered i.v. to healthy male and female volunteers, on blood and its constituents was investigated by means of ESR spectroscopy and by differential hematologic examinations. The native blood ESR spectrum exhibits 2 min after injection of vitamin C a considerable increase in spin concentration and a new signal at about g [resonance shift unit] = 2.005 which correlated to the semidehydroascorbate radical. This spectrum is identical to that obtained in acute lymphatic leukemia. While it prevails in untreated leukemic patients, spin concentration and spectrum shape obtained return to normal within several h to 1 day in healthy individuals. Since neither erythrocytes nor plasma modifications could be observed, the ESR changes detected must have their origin in the leukocytes. Hematologic studies of the peripheral blood show that the number of granulocytes, lymphocytes and thrombocytes was not drastically affected by the vitamin C injection.